Sublease meet a non-starter

OUR CORRESPONDENT

A meeting of Appropriate Machinery Committee, convened at the East Singhbhum district collectorate on Monday after nine years to probe violations of 49 sublease clauses in Tata Steel areas, failed to make headway due to a member’s absence.

The panel, which decides to allot Tata sublease land, needs five members, but Tata Steel vice-president Partha Sengupta resigned in January, bringing the number down to four.

Tata Steel’s managing director T.V. Narendran sent the administration a letter on Monday to include the company’s deputy vice-president (corporate services) Sunil Bhaskaran in the panel.

However, Monday’s date has been missed. It also means a long process of deferral.

Principal secretary of land reforms and revenue department J.B. Tubid had on February 6 at Ranchi directed the panel comprising three representatives from the district administration and two from Tata Steel to meet and probe charges of violation.

Now, Bhaskaran will be formally inducted in the panel. Then, Tubid will have to call another date.

The move for a fresh meeting came when Kolhan commissioner Alok Goyal apprised Tubid of alleged violation of sublease clauses in 49 of the 59 allotments.